Matt Dolan has taken a running mate: Cuyahoga County Commissioner Jimmy Dimora.

A Chagrin Falls Republican vying to become the county's first singular leader, Dolan has no intention of keeping a partner past the Nov. 2 election -- but the two are nearly inseparable right now.

Dolan gives his campaign cohort dramatic play in campaign literature and television ads that prominently feature the now iconic Plain Dealer photo of Dimora, once the county Democratic Party boss, being led from his home in chains by federal agents last month.

Dolan says Dimora is the perfect campaign companion because he's the most recognizable politician in a massive federal public corruption probe that inspired voters to dump the current form of government dominated by Democrats for a single county executive and 11-member council.

"It's a reminder to people that they need to vote differently," Dolan said.

Dimora has pleaded not guilty to 26 federal charges and faces trial next September. Dolan's campaign has largely focused on trying to link his Democratic opponent, Ed FitzGerald, to the corrupt county politics.

Dolan isn't the only Republican trying to taint his opponent by using the same powerful image, captured by Plain Dealer photographer Marvin Fong during the only moment Dimora appeared in public view while in handcuffs.

The photo has popped up in two statewide races -- for Secretary of State and Attorney General -- that have no direct connection to Cuyahoga County's corruption scandal, which has driven the campaigns for the new county offices.

The Ohio Republican Party is distributing a piece of campaign literature for Secretary of State candidate Jon Husted that juxtaposes the Dimora photo next to an unflattering image of his Democratic opponent, Maryellen O'Shaughnessy. The literature claims she "accepted campaign cash from indicted politician Jimmy Dimora."

The ad is misleading even without the photo because it implies O'Shaughnessy accepted money from Dimora after he was indicted. O'Shaughnessy, who at the time was running for Franklin County Clerk of Courts, received $100 from Dimora's campaign on June 25, 2008, a month before the federal investigation became public and agents raided Dimora's home and office. Husted spokesman Ryan Frazee said he believes the ad is a fair representation of the facts.

Mike DeWine also uses the image in a campaign commercial to argue that his Democratic opponent, incumbent Richard Cordray, "sat on the sidelines too long" as the corruption scandal unfolded. The commercial featuring the image of Dimora only aired in the Cleveland television market.

"The photo of Jimmy Dimora in handcuffs is an image that embodies the corruption scandal that has engulfed Cuyahoga County," DeWine campaign manager John Hall said.

The corruption probe began before Cordray took office. And the attorney general has said federal investigators did not seek outside help and he did not want to interfere or grandstand on the issue.

But neither Husted nor DeWine uses the photo as much as Dolan, who is trying to position himself against Dimora and the Democratic Party. In one flier mailed to county residents, Dolan creates a mock Plain Dealer front page entirely out of the Dimora photo. Inside, the flier says FitzGerald is "right in the middle of the scandal."

FitzGerald is a former FBI agent who investigated public corruption cases. Now mayor of Lakewood, FitzGerald said Dolan's use of the photo to link him with Dimora is misleading voters, saying his opponent is attempting to turn "my background on its head."

"Dolan says he wants to restore civility to local politics, but he continues to use that photo in connection to me," he said.

FitzGerald's name surfaced in a federal document when a call between Dimora and FitzGerald was recorded by federal agents probing the relationship between Dimora and a businessman. FitzGerald has not been charged in the investigation.

Asked specifically to explain what draws him to the photo, Dolan said its "startling statement of how far entrenched interests have taken us."

Whether the photo is effective or not as political warfare, Plain Dealer Editor Susan Goldberg said campaigns violate the notion of fair use when a photo is used out of context, such as when a photo is displayed differently than it originally appeared in the paper.

"Pulling our photo out of this context and having it stand alone is improper use -- even if it is credited," she said. "The larger issue here is that our work be portrayed fairly and in the context in which it was presented to the public. In addition, we need to avoid being used by a political campaign as their partisan mouthpiece, which is what we are seeing here."

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